Caterer makes extra £35k from beverage equipment

Contract caterer Amadeus claims to have achieved “record-breaking sales” following the introduction of a standalone drink concept strategically placed in the NEC Group Arenas in Birmingham.

Capitalising on the success of ‘beer hawking’, Amadeus has developed a solution that dispenses alcoholic beverages quickly to consumers in high footfall areas, reducing wait time and increasing service efficiency. The equipment resulted in an additional £34,600 in revenue being taken during the Take That concerts that took place in May.

The concept was initially created to dispense Stella beer and has become known by the company as a ‘beer bug’. Spotting an opportunity to appeal to a female market at busy concerts and broaden choices for alcoholic beverages at summer events, Amadeus developed the ‘Beer Bug’ concept to include a ‘Fruit Bug’ serving Pimms and a ‘Fizzy Bug’ serving Prosecco.

Marc Frankl, food and beverage director at Amadeus (pictured above), said: “We’re delighted with the success of the Beverage Bugs, as not only did they deliver incremental revenue but they delivered excellent customer service too, serving people quickly and efficiently to minimise queue times.

“They are a fantastic addition to our permanent food and drink kiosks and contributed to record-breaking sales of over £690,000. We’re looking forward to rolling out the concept across our other venues that host high-footfall events, as well as licensing the concept to third parties.”

During the Take That concerts, held at the NEC Group’s Genting Arena, the Fizzy Bug topped the sales chart, with over 1,600 glasses of Prosecco dispensed, followed by over 1,200 glasses of Stella and 1,187 glasses of Pimms.

Amadeus are now considering other high volume opportunities in which the fizzy, beer and fruit bugs would make an impact to customer service and sales revenue as part of their growth strategy.